


our destiny's got us intertwined

by isloremipsumafterall (orphan_account)



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 11:44:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6004740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/isloremipsumafterall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We’ll make the best of it. At least they didn’t split us up.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Ashley smiled at him, “Good thing too cause you wouldn’t last a day out here without me.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	our destiny's got us intertwined

Their shared quarters in Horizon were clearly not meant for two people, a joke played on them by the colonists who didn’t want them.

 

“Cozy,” Ashley deadpanned, scowling at the two cots that took up most of the room.

 

“We’ll just have to make due,” Kaidan said but sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wishing the situation was a little different but trying to think of a way to make it work.

 

“Yeah, we can look on the bright side.” Ashley snorted in derision and took a seat on one of the cots and as Kaidan took a seat on the other their knees banged together, “You and I are about to get real close, LT.”

 

“If you look different in the morning now’s the time to tell me, Gunner-” Kaidan paused at the nickname, it wasn’t really suitable anymore given Ashley’s latest promotion but ‘Ops Chief’ didn’t roll off the tongue in the same teasing way. “Ash.” He settled on. “You know we ought to celebrate your promotion, never did get a chance before we were placed out here.”

 

“I’m not sure if this place makes the promotion a punishment or not.” Ashley leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

 

“Hey,” Kaidan nudged her with his knee, “We’ll make the best of it. At least they didn’t split us up.”

 

“Yeah,” Ashley smiled at him, “Good thing too cause you wouldn’t last a day out here without me.”

 

“Uh, I recall a different story, our last geth base for instance.” Kaidan said, bringing up the incident where he had nearly drained himself using all his biotic powers to save them.

 

“Well when the flashlight heads come calling you can show off a little but we’re not dealing with them now. I almost miss them already.”

 

“Why don’t we tell them that? Send a note to the Quarian homeworld.”

 

“Only if it’s attached to a bomb.”

 

Kaidan chuckled, “I recall our track records with bombs aren’t at an all-time high.”

 

The reminder of Virmire made Ashley grin now that the sting of it was off and they were both okay, “Another time I pulled your ass out of the fire, LT.”

 

“Keeping counts a little childish don’t you think?”

 

“Says the loser.” Ashley teased.

 

“No one likes a sore winner Ash.”

 

“I can’t hear you over ass kissing you should be giving me.”

 

He threw a pillow at her without even looking by using biotics, just because he could.

 

~~

 

The rumours of Shepard’s return reached them every day and put neither of them in a good mood when the name ‘Cerberus’ came attached.

 

“Maybe he’s infiltrating the place.” Kaidan suggested one night, knowing that next to him Ashley was awake. He kept the anger out of his voice and though he had his small hopes that was what Shepard was up to he knew that even if it wasn’t Ashley just needed some comfort right now.

 

“Maybe we didn’t know him as well as we thought we did.” Ashley said bitterly and it fell quiet between them.

 

Kaidan reached out, it was easy in the small space between them to find Ashley’s hand and squeeze it in a reminder that she wasn’t in this thing alone. Ashley didn’t say anything but when he went to pull away she tightened her grip just a little and he stopped, leaving it there. It was a little uncomfortable but they ended up falling asleep like that anyway.

 

Neither of them said anything the next morning, just getting ready with their backs turned to each other as usual.

 

~~

 

While most of the people on Horizon seemed to hate them Lilith was another story, she at least was willing to work with them on the turret situation though with the comms down her mind was a little fractured in dealing with the two problems.

 

She found Kaidan in the mess hall one evening, smiling wearily at him as she took a seat.

 

“No progress I take it?” Kaidan asked, looking up from his own padd that was supposed to be offering suggestions on the turret problem but seemed to have no real solution yet.

 

Lilith shook her head, “And by the look on your face I take it you haven’t either.”

 

Kaidan grimaced, setting the padd down, “Yeah and people’s attitude out here sure hasn’t been helping.”

 

Lilith reached over to pat his hand, “You and Chief Williams are Alliance, it’s hard for people out here to trust you is all.”

 

“We gathered.” Kaidan said drily and then his eyes flickered towards the door where Ashley had just stepped in.

 

She stopped once she spotted him and then her gaze fell to where Lilith’s hand rested on his and Ashley took a strange jerk backwards, leaving without another word.

 

Kaidan frowned, “Wonder what that was about.” He murmured.

 

Lilith heard him and raised an eyebrow, “You really haven’t noticed. Maybe you Alliance types aren’t as good as you think you are.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kaidan leaned back in his chair, pulling his hand away and crossing his arms.

 

“Means you should talk to the Chief and work some things out.” Lilith told him and then stood up, walking out with a shake of her head.

 

Kaidan stared at the padd on the table and the cooling coffee he’d been drinking and sighed, Lilith had a point, clearly it was time to talk to Ashley about whatever was going on.

 

~~

 

“Alenko,” Ashley nodded at him as he slipped in the door, cool and profession with her gun in her lap out for cleaning.

 

“All right Ash,” Kaidan sat on his bed and looked at her, “What’d going on?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ashley shot back hotly and went back to cleaning her gun. To anyone else they might have taken it as warning and stopped the conversation there and then but Kaidan kept going.

 

“I mean leaving the mess without saying anything.”

 

“You and Lilith just looked like you were getting chummy,” Ashley shrugged, “Didn’t want to spoil the moment.”

 

“Me and Lilith…?” Kaidan scratched at his chin awkwardly, “Ash she was just trying to make me feel better what with no one else here trusting us.”

 

“You sure that’s all?” Ashley raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“Wait, are you jealous?” Kaidan blinked at the realization.

 

“No,” Ashley said, a little too quickly and Kaidan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

 

“You are.” He stated and then began laughing and when Ashley looked like she might actually consider shooting him after all he raised his hands, “Ash there’s nothing between us I swear.”

 

She didn’t say anything, looking away from him.

 

“I just…” Kaidan breathed out, “I don’t know what you’re jealous for Ash, I mean you and Shepard were an item but it’s been a while.” He usually skirted over bringing Shepard up least it dredge up some bad memories for Ashley and maybe it just was seeing someone else in a relationship that reminded her of what she had.

 

“Me and Shepard?” Ashley gaped at him, “Whoa, slow down there Kaidan, there was no me and Shepard.”

 

“Was no you and Shepard?” Kaidan scoffed, “I saw you guys in the cargo bay, always talking.”

 

“We were talking about the missions. Going over them and how we could approve them,” Ashley snapped and then slowly she began to smirk, “Shepard was always trying to flirt with Liara, how dense do you have to be LT? Or should I ask how jealous?”

 

Kaidan shut his mouth with a click, flushing at being caught.

 

“Now who’s the jealous one?” Ashley teased.

 

“So you admit you were jealous of Lilith then?” Kaidan shot back and caught Ashley’s eyes, holding her gaze until the two of them broke off into laughter at the situation they’d put themselves in.

 

“All this time I could have been asking you out then?” Kaidan shook his head.

 

“You’ve got a few dates where you can make up for it.” Ashley reached over to pat his shoulder, leaving her arm there.

 

It brought her close, so even in the dim lighting in their room Kaidan could see her brown eyes sparked with amusement.

 

“Guess this rooms not such a curse then.” He mumbled, relaxing at the easy closeness between them.

 

“I could get used to it after all.”

 

They both leaned in to close the gap between them in a gentle kiss, something still a little unsure that lost its uncertainty by the second.

 

If any of the colonists had taken a look into their room the next morning to see the two cots pushed together or noticed how close they stood then nobody said anything which between them was perfectly fine; it gave them time to figure out where to go from there anywhere.


End file.
